Plea for a Captive
by The Shadows Hide All
Summary: AU ItaNaru SasuNaru. Itachi, lord of the youkai, captures the Kyuubi no Kitsune, imprisoning it inside the mortal Naruto. Sasuke and Naruto develop a bond, and Naruto is faced with a decision: stay with his love, or be eternally free? And does the Uchiha
1. Chapter 1

Title: Plea for a Captive

Rating: R

Summary: AU ItaNaru SasuNaru. Itachi, lord of the youkai, captures the Kyuubi no Kitsune, imprisoning it inside the mortal Naruto. Sasuke and Naruto develop a bond, and Naruto is faced with a decision: stay with his love, or be eternally free? Yaoi

Hey, all. I decided to take a break from yuri (shocking, I know) and do some good ol' SasuNaru! Yup, this is going to be fun. Haven't done SasuNaru in quite a while. Let's hope this makes it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or the poem Plea for a Captive by W. B. Merwin. Well, technically, neither does the poetry book I got this from either, so it would be like using unowned goods...if that makes any sense. ...You know what, never mind.

_Woman with the caught fox_

_By the scruff, you can drop your hopes;_

_It will not tame though you prove kind,_

_Though you entice it with fat ducks_

_Patiently to your fingertips_

_Do not suppose it will turn friend,_

_Dog at your heels, sleep at your feet,_

_Be happy in the house_

_No,_

_It will only trot to and fro,_

_To and fro, with vacant eye,_

_Neither will its pelt improve_

_Nor its disposition, twisting_

_The raw song of its debasement_

_Though the long nights, and in your love,_

_In your delicate meats tasting_

_Nothing but its own decay_

_(As at first hand I have learned)_

_Oh,_

_Kill it at once or let it go._

Plea for a Captive by W. B. Mervin

I'MLAZY,NE?

A blood curdling scream echoed throughout the forest, followed by the sound of hunting dogs. The bushes rustled before parting to reveal a flash of orange, followed by several flashes of brown and white.

"We've almost got him!" a hunter cried out from his horse, followed by at least forty others. "C'mere, you heartless bastard!"

There was a brief flash of nine tails dancing in the air before one of the hunter's companions fell off his horse, caught on fire. The thick scent of decaying flesh filled the small forest.

There was a thick air of foreboding, even the humans with their limited senses could feel it. Something bad was going to happen, that was why the animals had left the forest minutes before.

_Foolish humans, thinking that I can be caught so easily? _A deep voice growled. The hunters froze, paralyzed from fear.

Everything stood still. All they could hear was their own labored breathing. Uncomfortable from the silence, one idiot broke the silence.

"Kyuubi no Kitsune! Come out and fight us!" he yelled, throwing up his gun in an attempt at being threatening.

_As you wish._

That was the last thing they heard before the entire forest erupted in flames. Their screams were bone-chilling as the fire ate them alive. They faintly saw a figure of the fox before their vision turned black. Dead.

(In the Uchiha Palace thing)

"Milord, I have just received news that the hunting party you sent out has just been killed," Kiran, the lord's right-hand man, said, one knee bent.

"Well, it seems as if the infamous Kyuubi no Kitsune doesn't want to be caught," a haunting voice chuckled. Crimson eyes looked out at the servant. "Order your best men out there."

"But sire--"

"Is there a problem with my order, Kiran?" Itachi drawled, twirling a finger around his long back hair boredly.

"N-no sire, but, it's just," he stuttured.

"Speak clearly, Kiran."

Kiran took a moment to gather the courage. Gulping, he continued.

"Those _were_ my greatest men, milord," Kiran grumbled.

"Are you sure you have no stronger men?" Itachi asked.

"Yes, milord. They are, or were, the best in the village," Kiran gulped again.

"Very well then. I shall go capture this kitsune myself," Itachi got up from his throne, starting to walk down a hallway.

"But, milord, he is far too strong!" Kiran cried.

"Do you doubt my power, Kiran? The last to do that ended up in the dungeon," Itachi spoke calmly.

"N-no, milord! Of course, you are much stronger than that kitsune!" Kiran stuttured, rushing up to walk at his master's side.

"Good," Itachi said, amusement shining in his eyes. Servants were so fun to take advantage of. He headed off to the weapons room.

He looked around the room, and seized a large sword off of one of the stands. It was made of the finest crystal he had yet to encounter, beautiful designs of roses etched on the blade. The handle of the sword was covered by a crimson ribbon.

His battle strategy would work. He had no doubts. The Kyuubi no Kitsune was already weakened from running, and using his kitsune tricks. The Kyuubi was his.

With a sadistic glint in his eye, he sheathed his sword (A/N: Can't really call it a katana...it's sorta like Crystal Sword that Cloud has on FF7.)

(In the Forest)

Kyuubi chuckled. Yet another army of bounty hunters shot down. He was becoming a master at this. He settled himself in front of a pond to have a drink.

The clean taste of the water soothed his throat, dry from the remaining smoke from the fire. It was strange; his element was fire, and yet the smoke still got to him. When he was done, he lay down upon a patch of grass, listening for any footsteps of any hunter that might track him. Hearing none, he looked around, relaxing. It had been a tiring chase for him. Though he was a demon fox, it still tired him to run so far, especially from one city to another for about twenty miles. That was how long the hunters chased him. Well, there used to be a hundred, but most collapsed from exhaustion.

He soon became aware that he was not alone. He looked across the lake to see a human boy, no older than about eighteen. The boy had messy blonde hair and eyes as blue as the sky. He was dressed in filthy rags, a human peasant. Eyes downcast, the boy bent down to get a drink of water. Kyuubi saw his chance and slipped quietly into the shadows, intrigued by this human.

"Ah, so refreshing!" the boy said, grinning at nothing in particular. "The forest fire destroyed so much, it hurt my throat!"

The human talked to himself? Interesting.

"Hm, I better get back before Iruka-nii-san gets worried," the boy said. "But it's just so peaceful here! Such a perfect place to draw!"

And with that, the boy took out some sheets of parchment and a quill. He quickly started sketching a nearby tree. Kyuubi watched, interested. This boy had talent.

"Kyuubi no Kitsune!" a masculine voice called out. Kyuubi tensed.

_Damn, I forgot to watch for hunters. _He silently thought. He was losing his touch.

The boy jumped up, surprised at the voice. He looked back to see a tall man with black hair tied back in a ponytail.

"Itachi-sama, milord!" the boy cried, bowing.

"Ah, what is your name, little boy? It's much too dangerous to be out in these woods," Itachi said, looking down at the boy. The boy faintly twitched. So what if he was short for his age?

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, milord. And I am eighteen years old," Naruto said.

"Ah, so sorry," Itachi said, obviously not paying attention. Naruto frowned.

"If I may, why are you out?" Naruto asked.

"I am here to capture the Kyuubi no Kitsune," Itachi said, looking around. "Have you seen him?"

"No, milord, I am afraid I don't know what the Kyuubi no kitsune is," Naruto said.

_Am I the one you're looking for?_

Kyuubi stepped out of the shadows. Itachi narrowed his eyes.

"At last, I found you, Kyuubi no Kitsune," he growled.

_What is it you want with me, pathetic ningen?_

"To capture you, why else? And I am not so weak as you are led to think," Itachi spat.

_All mortals are weak to we demons. What makes you so different?_

"I am the prodigy child from the infamous clan Uchiha," Itachi said proudly.

_A Uchiha, hm? This should prove to be interesting._

Naruto looked back and forth between the two.

"What the hell's going on?" Naruto asked. Kyuubi turned towards him. Itachi took advantage of his distraction, calling out a scroll. His hands became a blur as he made many hand symbols. The forest suddenly was engulfed in a blue mist of chakra.

When the mist subsided, the Kyuubi was no longer there, and Naruto was knocked out.

"I had not intended to use this first, but it seems the only way to control you is to seal you," Itachi spoke, picking up the boy. "Of course, I didn't plan on the perfect boy to be here. That was just luck." He laughed. "Enjoy your prison, Kyuubi no Kitsune."

Naruto now had whisker-like scars on his cheeks. Itachi lifted up his shirt to reveal the seal. He chuckled, carrying Naruto back to the castle.

(At the Uchiha place)

Itachi slowly walked to the throne room, still carrying Naruto.

"Aniki!" a voice cried from behind him. Itachi paused, looking to see his little brother, Sasuke.

At the age of eighteen, Sasuke was the type of man that women of all ages adored. His pale complexion and the haunting raven eyes that discerned him from his elder brother made him look almost sinister. He had on a raven cloak, a crimson cord tied around it.

"Otouto-san," Itachi nodded in greeting, continuing his walk.

"Aniki, who is that boy you have?" Sasuke asked, walking alongside Itachi.

"This boy," Itachi drawled, "he is yours. You have said you needed companion. Call together the elders firs for met, and we shall discuss the matter further."

When the elders had been called in the meeting room, Itachi cleared his throat to gain their attention.

"Elders of Iwayama, I come before you to introduce to you the Kyuubi no Kitsune," Itachi spoke, waving his arm towards the boy. There was a collective gasp, and one member spoke up.

"But the Kyuubi is a kitsune, not a human," the elder spoke. Others nodded their heads in agreement.

"Ah, yes, but take a look at his stomach," Itachi said, lifting up Naruto's shirt. The others saw the seal.

"That is the seal of binding!" one cried. "You have sealed the Kyuubi inside this boy!"

"Yes," Itachi said. "I shall further harness the Kyuubi's power when his body has fully recovered. For now, I shall leave him in the hands of my younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke."

With that, he left the room.

(Sasuke's Room)

Sasuke carefully laid Naruto on his bed. He stared at the boy.

"He's cute," Sasuke whispered to himself. "Maybe he might prove worthy as a friend."

Or more, he thought. Yes, it was true that Naruto was quite a handsome boy. Innocent, but still handsome.

"Oyasumi, Naruto-san," Sasuke whispered, climbing into bed beside Naruto.

ENDOFCHAPTER

Fox- ...I suck...

Kira- You just noticed that?

Fox- ...You're talking to me!

Kira- Hm, you apologized, you were honest about it, I don't see why not. But that doesn't mean that I'll leave you alone.

Fox- (smile) Good.

Kira- (grins and flashes victory sign) Aw, kit, you know I wouldn't abandon you! I still have yet to get my revenge!

Fox- ...There's more?

Kira- Of course there is, baka! What, did you think I'd let you forget? Not on your life!

Fox- (deadpans) Oh well...Kira you do the honors...

Kira- Read and review!


	2. Chapter 2

Oo I never thought I would get so many reviews. Well, to me this is a lot --...

Kira- Better get typing, kit.

Fox- Right!

Many thanks to:

BlueStar123, someone, Dreams raven, Yaoilover S, wiglady, ruby-sama aura-chan the neko-jin's yami, and RuByMoOn17

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, for if I did, then Kakashi would be a lobster and pretend to be Sebastian from the Little Mermaid(which I don't own either), and sing that "Kiss the girl" song when Naru-chan and Sasuke-kun are swimming. Of course it would be changed to "Kiss the boy." ...Long disclaimer, ne?

HEADACHESSUCK 

Naruto woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside the black shaded windows.

...Wait, windows?

"Where the fuck am I?" Naruto asked himself, sitting up really fast. "Oh shit, shouldn't have done that..." While he waited for the dizzy feeling to go away, he looked around the dimly lit room.

There were barely any decorations. The room was a black, morbid color, with only a simple black chest of drawers and some sword holders mounted on the wall. The bed itself was a canopy with black satin sheets. Naruto had the faint urge to rub his head against the sheets.

It was a while before he realized that there was a lump in the bed beside him. He turned to look at the person.

"Beautiful," Naruto whispered. He had never seen anyone as beautiful as this boy. Pale skin, black spikey hair...what an eyeful!

He felt his heart race as the boy slowly woke up. He panicked.

"You're awake," the rich masculine voice whispered, voice still heavy with sleep. Sasuke sat up, getting up off the bed in a graceful movement. "We should get some new clothes for you."

"Excuse me, but who are you? And why am I in your bed? Did I...did we...?" Naruto stuttured, blushing.

"No, we didn't sleep together. All will be explained when I take you to my brother," Sasuke remained calm. "And my name is Uchiha Sasuke."

"Uchiha! You're milord's younger brother!" Naruto cried, not caring that it was the morning and some people were just waking up.

"Hush. Don't wake the whole castle," Sasuke's eyes shone with amusement. "Yes, I'm Itachi-sama's younger brother. Is there a problem with that?"

"None at all. I was just wondering why I was here with you, Uchiha-san," Naruto bowed his head.

"No need to be so formal. Sasuke will do," Sasuke said, opening the door to his closet. Naruto had missed that door. Now that he saw what was inside, he did a double-take.

"So many outfits!" Naruto cried in a hushed whisper (A/N: Oo; Sounds like an oxymoron to me.). He stared.

"You look about my size, a little shorter though. I shall get Hachi to hem one of my outfits. Choose one to your liking," Sasuke said, stepping aside. Naruto stared in wonder at the outfits.

"You mean I can wear one of these?" Naruto asked.

"Is that not what I said?" Sasuke asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Naruto finally chose a beautiful kimono. It was an orange kimono with blue spirals all over it. The obi was blue and orange striped. Sasuke noted for a moment how it brought out the blue in Naruto's eyes.

They walked towards the breakfast hall.

"Ne, Sasuke, what about my onii-san? Does he know where I am?" Naruto asked.

"You have a brother? Well, how about we tell him after breakfast?" Sasuke said. Naruto nodded.

"Ah, Sugoi, sugoi! So much food!" Naruto gazed in awe at the banquet. This seemed like breakfast, lunch, and dinner combined, there was so much food.

"Ah, otouto, Uzumaki-san. You have arrived," Itachi's voice boomed. Naruto found himself blushing at the sight before him.

"Ohayo, aniki," Sasuke said, taking a seat beside his brother.

"O-ohayo, Milord," Naruto bowed, taking a seat beside Sasuke.

"Naruto-san, I am assuming you are wondering why you were brought here," Itachi said in a casual manner once breakfast was done.

"Hai, milord," Naruto said.

"Ah, you may call me Itachi if you want," Itachi said. "You are practically a member of the family." His lips curved into a seductive smile. Naruto gulped and blushed.

Sasuke watched this exchange with narrowed eyes. Was it just him, or was Itachi flirting with Naruto...?

"You see, you are here because of the Kyuubi no Kitsune," Itachi said, flashing another seductive smile. "The Kyuubi was sealed inside you, so that it wouldn't cause any harm. You'll have to learn to handle the excess chakra that has entered your body. Sasuke will help you."

Naruto stared. This had to be some sick joke.

"You...you're kidding. You have to be!" Naruto said.

"The Uchiha clan never lies," Itachi said. Sasuke flashed Naruto a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, it isn't so bad..." he whispered. Naruto looked at him, an angry look in his eyes.

"Not so bad? Not so bad! How would you feel if you knew a demon was housed inside you!" Naruto hissed, forgetting that compared to the Uchiha brothers he was an ant in a world of hawks. (A/N: Strange analogy, ne?) Sasuke flinched as Naruto ran out of the room.

"Let him calm down," Itachi said, resting his head on his hands in an amused way. "He'll come back when he's ready. We didn't tell him much. He will be curious."

"I hope you're right..." Sasuke said, biting his lip in worry.

ENDOFCHAPTER2

Fox- -- That chapter sucked. I'm sorry it's so short, too. The next one, if I get enough reviews, will be longer. I'm going to wait until I have at least 15 reviews.

Kira- Yeah, and she means it! Read and PLEASE review! She's desperate!

Fox- Hush.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey, everyone. Sorry I haven't been updating... I had to go to a family reunion. And I couldn't post a warning or another chapter, because I remembered at the last minute and was like "Oh, fuck it." (Of course, that made my mom pissed cause she doesn't like my colorful vocabulary...) Anyways, sorry. ...(gasp) I have a brilliant idea!

Kira- (mumbles) That's new.

Oh, shut up. (Evil grin)(laughs evilly)

Kira- ...Oo...

(Cough) ...Sorry about that... ...Why are you looking at me like that? I just had a good idddeeaa!

Kira- ...oo;;;...

Thanks to my lovely reviewers:

ruby-sama aura-chan the neko-jin's yami, wiglady, RuByMoOn10, Kyaa, BlueStar123, Diablo, Chaotic Prayer, and tiggra.

(gives a cookie to each reviewer) Thank you thank you!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, because if I did, Naruto would be an adult show! ;3

PAGEBREAKCAUSEIMLAZYLIKETHAT

Naruto stormed past the surprised servants, fuming. How dare they store some stupid fucking demon thing in him with no warning, and expect him to be okay with that! He didn't even get a choice! '_Don't worry. It's not so bad. MY ASS!_' He twitched. He had the right to be mad if he wanted! He wasn't overreacting!

...Right?

...He really needed to get out of here.

After what seemed like hours of aimlessly walking, he realized he was lost. Just fucking dandy. He panicked slightly, trying to remember the numerous turns he had taken. There were way too many for him to remember.

"I'll just try to guess my way out," he said to himself., trying to keep an optimistic outlook on things. "I'm sure sometime I'll find it!"

When he saw the same potted house plant ten times, he started to panic. _'Calm down, Naruto. It's just decoration. Many people put the same plants all around their place_.' he tried to reason with himself. It wasn't working. He started to run, thinking about how he was such an idiot. He shouldn't have run off, or he wouldn't be in this mess.

All of a sudden, he crashed into someone, the force of the crash sending him to the ground.

"Lost?" an amused voice drawled. Naruto looked up to see a man with silver hair that stood off to one end, who appeared to be wearing some sort of headband over one of his eyes and a black piece of cloth over his mouth. He wore what Naruto recognized as an ANBU suit. The ANBU were highly skilled assassins, and thus feared among the townsfolk. They had a reputation of being cold, angry people who killed for fun, or at least that's what the villages said. Naruto gulped.

"E-excuse me, sir," Naruto said, trying to look brave. He failed miserably. "D-do you know w-where I can f-find a way out of this place?"

The man looked up from his book, Icha Icha Paradise, and stared at Naruto. He had the feeling that the man was smiling beneath his mask.

"Hai, but I also happen to know that Itachi-sama has brought you here, so it would be rude of you to leave," the man said, amusement shining in his eyes.

"Mister...um..."

"Kakashi. Hatake Kakashi," Kakashi said.

"Right, Hatake-san, I don't want to be here. You see, I was--" Naruto was cut off.

"I know of your situation, and I offer you my sympathy. However, I would advise you not to cross the Lord," Kakashi paused. "He has been known to do terrible things to people who don't obey him."

Naruto gulped. "S-so you wont...?"

"Iie, like I said, it wouldn't be wise," Kakashi thought a moment. "But I _can_ help you find your way back to your room."

"Would you?" Naruto asked.

"Hai. Follow me," Kakashi said, leading Naruto down an unknown hall.

"Arigatou, Hatake-san."

"Just call me Kakashi."

(In Naruto's room)

Sasuke jumped up from his sitting position on the bed when he saw Kakashi and Naruto.

"There you are. You were gone so long, I was afraid you had gotten lost," Sasuke said, letting out a sigh of relief.

"He's lucky I found him and not Orochimaru," Kakashi said with a slight cold edge. "Who knows what our enemy would have done if he found out how valuable Naruto is to us."

"Use him against us, of course," Sasuke said. Naruto stared at them.

"Valuable?" he repeated.

"I'll tell you later on. For now, I thank you, Kakashi, for finding Naruto," Sasuke said.

"My pleasure," Kakashi winked, and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto blinked and rubbed his eyes, unsure of what he saw. There was an uncomfortable silence in which Naruto looked pissed and Sasuke's face just conveyed no emotion.

"You said you wanted to tell your brother you were gone?" Sasuke spoke, pretending that what had happened in the breakfast hall had never taken place.

"Iruka-nii-san! I forgot about him!" Naruto said, all anger forgotten and replaced with guilt. "We have to go see him, right away! He's so overprotective, he might have called the village police!"

"Which village do you live in?" Sasuke inquired.

"Massaki Village," Naruto answered, biting his lip. Sasuke nodded and lead Naruto out of the room.

When they got to the entrance of the castle, Sasuke instructed Naruto to climb into the carriage. Naruto scooted as far away from the Uchiha as possible, choosing to stare out the window.

"You have a right to be angry," Sasuke said in a soft voice.

"No shit," Naruto said, continuing to stare out the window. A farmer passed, sowing his field.

"Aniki really shouldn't have sealed the Kyuubi within you," Sasuke spoke again in a soft voice.

"Damn right," Naruto muttered, flicking off a passing woman as she stared into the carriage. His lips twitched upwards as he saw her shocked expression.

"We fucked up your life, didn't we?"

"Since when do _you_ care?" Naruto paused to stare at a cow in the distance. "It's not like an insignificant little peasant like me matters to oh-so-high-and-mighty Uchiha brat."

Naruto inwardly cursed. He shouldn't be insulting his superiors, nor arguing with them. He should really learn to shut his mouth.

There was a noticeable pause before the Uchiha spoke.

"That's right. You're just a filthy, secondhand peasant. I don't know why I even bother to waste my time with you," Sasuke bitterly said.

"Bastard!"

"Dobe!"

The rest of the ride was silent, save for the sound of the hooves on the soil. Both were acting like five-year-olds, and each of them knew it.

They stopped at a shabby-looking village. The houses themselves were small huts, many of them either burned or collapsed. Sasuke quickly took notice that everyone was working, even the little children, but it looked like they were working together. Like they were a big family or something. He frowned as they stopped at a small hut at the end of the path.

"Iruka-nii-san, I'm home!" Naruto called inside the house.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" a voice yelled. Naruto winced. Sasuke saw a short man walk down the creaky steps, a scowl on his face. The man had his black hair in a ponytail and some sort of scar running across his nose. He was dressed in a ragged tan shirt and black pants with numerous sewn-on patches. Upon seeing Sasuke, his eyes widened and he bowed. "Uchiha-san! I-I didn't know you were here! Please, excuse my rudeness!"

Sasuke was immediately ushered into what he assumes was the living room and found himself a seat on a comfy-looking blue cushion. As Iruka hurried to make some tea, Sasuke looked around. The hut looked nothing like the outside. It was a quaint little adobe, not much furniture. Apparently the color scheme was blue. There was a small blue cabinet stocked with white teacups with tiny blue flowers decorating the top. There was a blue coffee table in the middle of three blue cushions, what he supposed was used for a dinner table.

On top of the cabinet were three pictures. One was with Iruka and Naruto together, dressed in yukata for the annual spring festival. The second had a younger Naruto, about six or seven, playing with a green windmill. The third was turned over.

"Naruto, why don't you get some belongings together for your stay at the castle?" Sasuke quietly suggested. Seeing Naruto's defiant look, he added, "I need to talk to your aniki. Alone."

He watched as Naruto reluctantly walked up the stairs, grumbling quietly to himself. Making sure he knew where Iruka was, he went to the cabinet with the swiftness of a cat and was about to lift up the picture when Iruka immediately entered the room. In the blink of an eye, Sasuke was sitting back on the cushion.

"_Jasumincha_?(1)" Iruka asked, placing the platter on the table. Sasuke nodded and picked up the cup, inhaling the sweet scent. He took a small sip.

"Hm...this is good. How do you get the flavor to be so sweet?" he asked, taking another sip.

"We grow our own special jasmine herbs, and add a little bit of honey," Iruka said, taking a sip of his own tea. "We own our own shop, _Uzumaki Chaen_(2)."

"Maybe you would like to move your store to the castle?" Sasuke proposed. "There would be great business, and I'm sure that even the toughest shinobi would love a good cup of tea every now and then. They work so hard, it would be a blessing to have a moment of peace."

"Hai, a moment's rest does wonders for the soul," Iruka agreed, taking another sip. "But I'm afraid that the palace is no place for Naruto and I. It would be too busy."

"Hai..." They sat in a moment's silence. Sasuke's eyes flicked over to the overturned picture for a moment and then cleared his throat.

"I came here for a reason," he said, turning back to Iruka.

"I'm sorry for whatever trouble Naruto caused, he's been like this ever since--" Iruka stopped himself. Sasuke gave him a curious glance.

"Since...?"

Iruka winced and walked up to the cabinet, taking down the picture to show Sasuke. It was a picture of four people, Iruka, Naruto, and a man and woman. The man had short black hair and green eyes. His arms were wrapped around a beautiful woman with long blonde hair and clear blue eyes.

"That's oka-san and otou-san," Iruka said, pointing to the adults. "Oka-san died during childbirth and otou-san went missing not long ago. Since otou-san went missing, Naruto's been acting...differently. Been making a nuisance of himself to the villagers."

Sasuke nodded.

"So please, don't mind him. He's been this was for a while," Iruka said, putting the picture down and going back to his seat.

"I assure you, Uzumaki-san, that Naruto didn't do anything troublesome," Sasuke said. "You see, we need Naruto."

"What could you need from _him_?" Iruka skeptically asked.

"Well, you see..." and Sasuke explained the whole mess to him. Iruka sat, wide-eyed, as Sasuke recounted everything. "...and so, we would like to keep Naruto at the palace. For research purposes. You could stay at the palace, too."

"Wherever Naruto goes, I'll go," Iruka grunted, placing his empty teacup on the tray.

"I'm glad you're so receiving of this. It must be hard," Sasuke grumbled, not sounding very sympathetic. Just as he said that, Naruto came down the stairs, holding a rather small bundle of clothes and a pouch containing various necessities. They packed it into the carriage and Naruto went to say goodbye, only to find that Iruka was putting his own stuff in the carriage.

"The hell?" Naruto demanded, frowning.

"I'm moving to the palace with you," Iruka mumbled, packing the last of the clothes in there. Naruto stood there, unsure of what to do.

"You don't..." Naruto started to say, but was interrupted by a little girl's voice.

"Naru-kun!" A small girl cried, rushing up to Naruto. She looked about eight or so, with long brown hair and emerald green eyes. She wore a lilac sleeveless dress that came down to her knees. "Naru-kun, is it true that you're leaving?" she demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

"Aa, Shikou. I'm afraid I won't be back for a while..." Naruto said, crouching so he was eye-level with the young girl.

"But how will you remember us?" Shikou frowned, hands still on her hips.

"I won't forget you, Shikou. You're too special to me," Naruto grinned. Shikou pouted, still not satisfied.

"I know!" she giggled. "I'll be right back! Don't leave!"

Naruto gave a hopeless look to Sasuke. He frowned but shrugged, leaning against the door of the carriage. A few minutes later, Shikou came back, hiding something behind her back.

"Naru-kun, don't forget us, okay?" she smiled childishly and handed Naruto two things, a white lily and a small fox stuffed animal. "Shiro is there if you ever get lonely and homesick! She's always helped me, and I want you to have her!"

Naruto looked down at the white fox and smiled.

"I'll take good care of it. Arigatou, Shikou," Naruto smiled, hugging the girl and kissing her on the forehead. "Be good for your oka-san, okay?"

"Hai!" she chirped. Naruto smiled and waved goodbye as they all climbed into the carriage.

"Don't ever forget us!" she called as the carriage faded out of sight.

"I won't!" Naruto yelled, smiling as he looked down at the fox and lily.

ENDOFCHAPTER

Fox- Okay, that sucked. Next chapter will be better. Please, read and review. And sorry it took so long to update. Writer's block...

(1) Jasmine Tea.  
(2) My oh-so-original name. Basically, Uzumaki Tea Shop. Or, if you want to translate it further, Spiral Tea Shop.


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